slipping
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: In which Rose is back with the Doctor with no clue how she got there, and no memories of Tentoo. What is going on and how will it affect their lives? Rose x Ten and Rose x Tentoo. Featuring Donna, Wilf and the Woman. Post Journey's end.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _In Pete's world, in the summer of 2010..._

The London sky was a lovely hue of blue this time of the year, unstained by dark clouds that brought in weeks of never-ending rain, and decked with zeppelins that looked like tiny specks of Christmas decoration. Stuck in a single planet at a single time, the Doctor duplicate had learnt to search for places and weathers that closely resembled the ones he adored throughout the Universe, his human heart blissfully aware of how excited Rose was every time he took her on one of these adventures.

Right, Rose. Usually, just the thought of her was enough to light up his face like a Gallifreyan white star. But this day was different. This was the day that was going to decide their future. And although he knew how things were going to go, he couldn't stop fidgeting with the tiny velvet box in his hands. He opened the lid, and looked down at the silver ring, with engravings in Gallifreyan that he had designed for her by himself, after hours of discarding sketches that he deemed unworthy of adorning the finger of a hand that was his to hold. He had chosen their favorite spot too for this occasion- a secluded spot in the garden in the Tyler mansion, where they would sneak out and meet in the middle of the night, like rebellious teenagers, back when she was still living with her parents and her brother and hadn't moved into their apartment yet. He leaned against the wall, remembering all the little and big things that brought them where they were- together, and happy.

And then it happened.

* * *

 _Sometime in 2008..._

She still couldn't believe how lucky she had gotten- to be back in her original universe, the one she had been born and brought up in, travelling through space and time with the wonderful person she loved, having all these adventures that she only watched in sci-fi movies and dreamt of, and living the perfect life. Rose Tyler was the happiest girl she ever knew. She never thought she could feel this way again, not since, since-

There was this nagging feeling at the back of her mind, like a constant hammering across the veils of consciousness, a pounding, something screaming at her, telling her she was missing something of extreme importance, something crucial, something vital to her existence, but she couldn't remember what. She sighed, taking comfort in the familiar thrum of the TARDIS, like the beat of a heart singing a soothing lullaby, willing her worries to rest. No, nothing was wrong, in fact, things couldn't be better- she was where she belonged- home, with him, and that was all that she could ask from life, especially after the-

There, the disturbing feeling was crawling under her skin again, burning through her flesh, seeping through her bones into her veins, staining her blood as it made its way into her heart that suddenly started beating faster, like it was trying to leap out of her chest and wake her up from a nightmare.

"What's wrong?" His voice broke through her thoughts, his breathe invading her left ear as he planted a soft kiss there and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She shrugged, melting into his embrace. "Nothing, it's silly."

She could feel him arch an eyebrow across the skin of her neck in silent question.

"Just feel like I'm forgetting something important that I was supposed to be remember, is all."

"Hmm", he hummed, fingers slipping under the hem of her shirt and tracing patterns in Gallifreyan on the soft skin of her stomach, the movement successfully making it impossible for her to think. Ever since she had returned and they had got a second chance, he had vowed to make the most of it, and had definitely opened up to her about his feelings more than he ever did before. He grinded against her, making his train of thoughts clear. "Quite right, you are. You _are_ forgetting something _very_ important."

She laughed, smacking him on his arm and turning around to face him, letting him keep his hold on her but putting enough distance between them. "Oh, no, you don't. We promised Wilf we would be there for lunch."

He whined, pulling her closer to him again, "Time machine, remember?"

"Daft pilot, remember?" She teased, tongue poking her teeth.

"Oi!" He frowned in mock hurt, finally letting go of her to hold her hand and lead her out of the TARDIS, not wanting to risk the temper of two Noble women. "Allons-y then!"

* * *

"Blimey, you're getting skinnier by the day. Rose, don't you feed him properly?" Donna Noble exclaimed as soon as she opened the door and noticed her and the Doctor standing outside, tugging on an ear.

"Good to see you too, Donna", The Doctor mumbled, while Rose smiled and walked into the house, dragging the Doctor with her by the lapels of his jacket before he could run away. "She's my friend, not my cook."

"Oh, shut it!" Donna shot back, closing the door behind them. "We all know what you _really_ are. When are you going to propose, John?"

"Donna!" Rose exclaimed, scandalized, but that didn't stop her.

"I'd like to see my friend married too. You remember Mandy? Linda from the mall's cousin? Her daughter got married last weekend. It was such an amazing wedding! Should have seen her, looking all radiant. I want to see you in that dress too, Rose." She shot a pointed look in the Doctor's direction.

This was when he decided it was time to intervene. "Okay, first of all, Donna, if- and that's a big if, a big fat fatty fatty if- _if_ Rose and I _were_ getting married, there would be no wedding, we'd elope. Secondly, we're not getting married! Thirdly, marriage is not a pre-requisite for having children!" He finished, with a look on his face that said it was the end of discussion.

Of course, it was just the beginning of a new discussion. "Did you knock her up? You did, didn't you? You dog!"

Rose groaned, holding her face in her hands, leaving her friend and her Doctor to enjoy their never ending verbal tug of war- she was not getting dragged in the middle of this again. Despite the embarrassing commotion around her, it was still wonderful to be here, after managing to convince the Doctor to visit Donna as John Smith, her grandfather's friend, a normal human git. Even with Donna's memories of him wiped, they had quickly formed a bond, and so had she and Rose, Rose sympathetic of the woman after missing a part of her memories herself. A few months back she had woken up in a desert in the right Universe and the Doctor had found her. She had no idea how she got there, she only had some vague memories of working on the dimension cannon - the last thing she could recall clearly was standing on a beach and hearing him tell her, "Does it need saying?" Of course he did whisper the words in her ear later while she-

Rose blinked. That thought hit her like a cold wind that intended to sweep away whole of existence. Where did _that_ thought come from? She had never felt this way before, not even when she was stranded in a parallel universe some two years back. It felt like she had been so far, far away from home for so long with no way of getting back, and that he had been with her. What was-

"Rose?" She found the Doctor staring at her expectantly, cutting off her thoughts for the second time that day.

"Sorry, what?"

He studied her for a moment, wondering why she was distracted, but didn't ask, not in front of Donna at least. "I said, Jane Smith is a good name for a baby, don't you think?"

Rose blinked, staring back and forth between the two banes of her existence. "How did you two even get to baby names?" Seeing the Doctor opening his mouth to explain, she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I don't even wanna know."

The Doctor, of course, took her lack of comment on the subject as a victory. "See, she likes it."

Donna practically scowled. "No she doesn't, that's why she didn't answer, you pear! I thought you could do better than Jane Smith!"

Rose snorted, trying to ease some of the tension in her mind. "What about _my_ middle name? Marion, _really_? Unique doesn't always mean good."

Donna huffed, getting up from the sofa and getting ready to set the table. "You are two peas in a pod, I swear! You drive me barmy! Wait till you have your own babies, then you'll know how it feels! GRAND-DAD, THEY'RE HERE!"

* * *

The lunch was rather peaceful, barring Donna and the Doctor dominating the conversation and getting into heated debates on certain topics which ended with Slyvia telling them to "behave like adults". Rose and Wilf managed go get only a few words in sometimes, but mostly, they had to be content with communicating via looks, one that said "yeah, I know what it's like living with someone who never shuts up."

Once lunch was over, Rose excused herself to go to the loo, washing her hands in the basin and smiling to herself at the domesticity of things. She had never imagined she would be able to drag him to lunches and dinners, but there he was, with his best friend, with her family, with-

Rose blinked again, the feeling of something not making sense returning to her. Her family was still in the parallel universe, and the Doctor had never had dinner at her place, except that Christmas after regeneration. So why did she feel like this was a thing, him and her having dinner with people they loved? Shaking her head, she splashed water on her face, willing the thoughts whirling in her head to just fade away. She wiped her face with the towel, and looked at her image in the mirror, only to find a woman standing right behind her. She jumped in surprise, but years of dealing with aliens allowed her to supress the instinct to scream. She had to do this herself- Donna could not know about the aliens, they couldn't risk her remembering.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned around to face the woman, fixing her with a gaze that showed she meant no non-sense. "Who are you? How did you get here? What do you want?"

The woman studied her for a moment, and Rose felt self-conscious, the pounding of her heart and the cadence of her breath suddenly very loud in the small bathroom, like a siren screeching to alert her of impending danger. She studied the woman too, blond, short hair, a simple white suit with a skirt. She didn't look threatening or malicious at all.

"You know something is wrong, don't you, Rose? Open your heart. You know the answers already. I'll be here to help you." And then she vanished into thin air, without answering any of the questions, leaving Rose to wonder if she had just imagined the whole thing, leaving her even more confused. How did she know her name? The whole day had been too weird, even by their daily routine where trouble was normal.

Regaining her composure, she stepped out and saw the happy look on the Doctor's face, and immediately decided not to bother him with the knowledge of what happened, at least not yet, not until she was sure it wasn't just stress or sleep deprivation playing tricks on her mind and making her hallucinate. He was so happy, finally, after all the pain he had been through, all the losses he had suffered, and she was not going to let him worry needlessly for her.

She had to figure it out herself. The woman did say she knew the answers already. Did she, really?


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

The first thing Rose looked for when she squinted her left eye open was the offending source of light that had woken her up from a rather happy dream. She noticed the door was open just a crack and light was seeping in. Looking around, she remembered she was still in her room in the TARDIS. The Doctor had asked her what was wrong as soon as they had returned, and she had promised she was just tired and needed sleep. He didn't look fully convinced, but dragged her to bed and let her curl up next to him. He must have gone out some time when she was sleeping. "Stupid git, didn't even close the door properly." She mumbled, shoving her face on the pillow and pulling the covers over her head.

The next time she woke up, she was faced with an extremely terrified looking Doctor, sitting at the edge of the bed and staring at her intently.

Worry overtook her immediately. She sat up on the bed, sleep forgotten, and cupped his cheeks with her hands. "What's wrong?"

He looked stricken, his eyes, laced with guilt, refusing to leave her face. She knew that look all too well- she had seen it when she first met him, when he was leather jacket, big ears, and holding his cards close to his chest, when he was blaming himself for the death and destruction of the time war. Only, now it was much worse- the pain of losing her to the parallel dimension twice and of having to wipe Donna's memories was too much for the last of the Time Lords. Her being there could keep these feelings at bay most of the time, but he still had these moments of self-loathing. He sighed, like the air was weighing down his soul. "You slept for ten hours."

She narrowed her eyes, confused. "And that scares you because...?"

He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut because he couldn't face her anymore. She hated how pale he looked, and all she wanted to do was make him smile again, put him at ease, let him know everything was going to be alright. She stroked his sideburns gently, encouraging him to tell her whatever it was that was bothering him.

"I didn't really knock you up, did I?"

His voice was so low, she almost didn't hear him. For a moment she sat dumbfounded and he waited anxiously. Then she burst out laughing. "Oh God, you're _such_ a daft alien! I'm not pregnant! Just knackered!"

He breathed in relief, the colors returning to his face. "Thank Rassilon! Not that I am appalled by the idea of raising a family with you. If you want to, I mean. But the thing is..." He punctuated his rambling with a deep breathe, willing to get the words out in the air before he panicked and back-pedaled. "Inter-species breeding is complicated. My biology is far superior to yours. I have two hearts, a respiratory bypass, superior cardiovascular system, not to mention-"

"-A girlfriend who's waiting for you to get to the point?" She cut him off, rolling her eyes with a smile on her face that let him know how much she adored his babbles.

He grinned back sheepishly, bringing his lips to hers for a chaste kiss. Then the seriousness returned to his features, his eyebrows perched low on his forehead, like a canopy over his darkened eyes, his jaw tense. "I don't want to put you at risk, Rose. I can't lose you again..."

She took his hands in hers, squeezing them tightly. "You won't lose me." She said firmly, moving closer so she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I found a way back to you, didn't I?" He nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer till she was on his lap. "Look at me", she commanded gently, and when he did, their eyes shone with the love that words could never express. "I'm _not_ gonna leave you." She kissed him again, and this time, he kissed back with a feverish desperation, like she was slipping through his grasp and vanishing into thin air. Her hands tangled in his hair, and she tugged, making him groan. When they finally pulled apart so she could breathe, they both were flushed. "Well, I _would_ regenerate you if you keep leaving my door open when I'm trying to sleep."

He grinned apologetically. "Sorry. Keep forgetting you need the dark to sleep. Me, I can sleep staring at the sun. Superior eyesight, cone cells that- right, sorry."

She grinned back, finally feeling relaxed. Yes, everything was just fine. _Molto bene_ , as he would have said. The Doctor and his Rose in the TARDIS, as it should be.

"Come on, then." He got up, tugging her hand and urging her to stand as well. "Where do you want to go today?"

* * *

 _A few hours later, on an alien planet:_

By the end of the third hour of watching the Doctor trying to fix what looked like a glorified cassette player from the future and supplying him with non-sonic screwdrivers- some things never go extinct- she was thoroughly bored. So when the Doctor said he needed some magnetic something, she had jumped at the opportunity to get it. The planet was extremely hospitable, and there were digitalized maps everywhere. She couldn't possibly get lost.

She took in the sight of the market, mentally noting to herself to ask the Doctor what those tiny battery look-alikes were. She found what he was looking for, bought it and got some alien gizmo free with it, and started to make her way back.

That's when she saw the woman again. Standing right there in the middle of the street. So either she was real, or Rose was still hallucinating. Could it be some alien pathogen? She had to talk to the Doctor about this now. This was getting serious.

She looked around her, wondering if she should ask someone if they could see the woman too.

"Only you can see me." The woman said, as if reading her mind.

Rose took in a shaky breath. "And why is that so?"

She shook her head sadly. "I've been gone for so long. I can only project myself to one person."

Rose snorted. "So you decided to stalk me? Gee, I feel so special."

"You _are_ special." She insisted, taking a step closer. "I can see what he sees in you."

Rose's breathe hitched. "You know the Doctor?"

The woman continued being mysterious and illusive, never answering her questions directly. "You cannot tell him any of this until you figure out what is going on. He won't tell you. And you need to know."

Rose was getting tired of this. Just when everything was feeling normal, this started again. "Need to know what? Why don't you just _tell me_?"

A look of pain flashed through her eyes, but she quickly masked it with indifference. "I swore to never interfere. I had to warn you. I wish I could do more, but I can't. You can find your way, Rose. I believe in you."

And once again she was gone and Rose was alone with her thoughts. On one hand, the woman seemed to be genuinely concerned, on the other, none of it made sense. And she really wasn't fond of the idea of hiding something like this from the Doctor. Maybe he could help her? He did know everything about everything. Despite the warnings, Rose decided to tell him, having full faith in him. Her Doctor would never hide something important from her. He would have the answers.

With that thought, she sped up towards the alien shop where he was. She found him staring at the messy parts of what once used to be that gadget, with his sonic screwdriver between his lips. Noticing her from the corner of his eyes, he looked up at her, grinning. "Pose. Phat pook pu po pong?"

She rolled her eyes, taking the screwdriver from between his lips, blushing at the smirk he shot her when her fingertips made contact with the corner of his mouth and she had to suppress a shudder. "Sorry, got a little carried away at the market."

"Isn't it beautiful?" He asked enthusiastically. "We'll go back later and look at whatever caught your fancy." He took the object from her hand, and went back to his job of fixing, and Rose wondered briefly why he was called the Doctor and not the Mechanic.

Bored again and alone with her thoughts, she turned her attention back to the woman's words. What was it that she was missing? She decided to review it from the beginning.

And nothing came.

 _How did I get here?_

There was the Doctor and Donna and her on the beach, and then she had woken up on the desert where the Doctor found her. How did she get there?

Rose closed her eyes tightly, trying her best to remember. Stars exploded behind her eyelids, but no images came. There was a hazy, fuzzy undercurrent at the back of her mind, a feeling of something seeping into her and making her dissipate- something bright, warm, and intangible. Everything turned white after that, and nothing made sense.

Something was wrong. She could feel it. And yet, she was with him, and that felt so right. Could it be any more confusing?

* * *

 _A few more hours later, on the same planet..._

Once the Doctor was done, their grateful hosts took them to the market, and Rose decided to wait till she was alone to talk to the Doctor. He ended up buying her an electronic watch that could talk to her and project holograms.

Finally, they were back in the TARDIS when Rose decided to test the waters by subtly telling him a part of what was bothering her. "I can't remember how I got here."

She could see him visibly tense, his hands clenching into fists and his eyebrows twitching even as he gave her a smile. She knew that look all too well too- he was going to paint her pegasus and rainbows instead of the sky that was filled with fire.

"I told you before, Rose", he said, cupping her cheeks, "You jumped dimensions through a tiny gap in the Universe. It can leave the mind confused. It's okay."

She bit her lip. He definitely knew something that he wasn't telling her, she could always tell when he was lying from the faint squeak in his voice. The woman was right then- he wasn't going to tell her. Her eyes flicked to his for a second. She wondered if...

He could see the thought forming in her head. Though it hurt, he couldn't really blame her for thinking it, not after what he had to do to Donna. "Rose", his voice was gentle and honest, and she knew this time it was the truth. "I did not wipe your memory. I'd never do that to you."

She believed him. This wasn't him. It wasn't how she felt after he pulled the vortex out of her. This was... different. The loss seemed palpable this time. Like a part of her was gone, and not something external that she had swallowed.

But if he hadn't, then what exactly did cause her to forget? What had happened to her when she got here?

Was she really just confused? Maybe this wasn't a big deal?

He pressed a kiss on the top of her head, pulling her into his embrace. "I'm so glad you are here."

Even with all the answers she didn't have, she knew one thing with absolute certainty. "I'm glad too."

* * *

 _Later that night..._

That night, she dreamt of the Tyler mansion in Pete's world. She dreamt of tip-toeing through the back door and into the garden, where the Doctor had already laid a blanket and was waiting for her. She noticed he was dressed differently, jeans and hoodie, like any other bloke, but in her dream, that seemed normal. He shot her a smile that made her weak in the knees, and patted at the space next to him. They both lay down, staring at the stars that they had been to, and the ones they hadn't. He pointed at constellations and they made up silly stories for the stars, who was angry with whom, who was in love with whom, and which was the prettiest star.

"You look beautiful", he told her while he played with her fingers, folding them and bending them and relaxing the joints. During times like these, she was extremely grateful that he was skinny and skilful enough to not break her bones.

"You don't look so bad yourself", she told him, and, with a cheeky grin, couldn't resist adding, "for an alien."

He gasped, feigning hurt, and placed her hand on his chest so she could feel his heartbeat.

 _Thump thump._

 _Thump thump._

 _Thump thump._

Two heartbeats. _Human_ heart beat.

Rose woke up in her bed with her eyes wide and her heart pounding wildly.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

It was like a bullet had been lodged inside her chest a long time back and lay in wait for ages, dormant, seeking the perfect moment to attack, and now it had moved, shifted inside her chest, pushing through her heart and making her bleed internally. The pain felt physical, like she could reach inside herself and point out the exact places where it hurt. Words could not begin to describe how much she was missing him.

The fog of dreams was slowly lifting and she was slowly coming back to reality, but the images and the feelings they stirred in her didn't fade away. It didn't make any bleeding sense. She was with the Doctor, had been since she got back, and she was missing him, the one from her dream, the one that was... Human? Just the thought of that was ridiculous.

And yet it felt so real. The man in her dreams felt as real as the man in the TARDIS with her. She had had dreams of the Doctor ever since she first met him- her secret desires turned into dreams of romance during her travels with him and her longing translated into dreams of teary reunions when she was stranded on Pete's world. It had hurt when she had woken up each time to find that they were still separated beyond the realm of dream. But she had the sanity of mind to know with utmost clarity that those were mere dreams, fruits of her wishful thinking. This dream, however, seemed anything but. It felt more like a memory calling out to her through a crack in the hidden part of her consciousness.

She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. Everything was wrong, so so wrong. And as much as she needed to figure out what was going on soon before she completely lost her mind, she needed to see him that instant, to know that he was still there, to heal the aching she felt inside her soul ever since waking up that only his smile, his touch, his voice could alleviate.

Even with the adrenaline coursing through her veins, her sleep deprived body was exhausted, and her legs only allowed her to jog to the console room. She used to be so good at running, but now her body felt... inadequate. There was no other word to describe it.

A surge of relief flushed through her the moment she saw him messing with the circuits of her phone. Under normal circumstances, she would have had a row with him that ended in them shagging each other speechless, but right now, she hurried up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Tears spilled out of her hazel eyes at his familiar scent, and before she knew it, she was sobbing lightly, with her head on his shoulder.

He turned around, quickly but carefully, and let her bury her face in his chest and cry it out. He stroked her golden locks tenderly, willing her pain away. When her shoulders stopped shaking and he could hear her sniffle at slight intervals, he finally lifted her chin up with a hand and made her meet his soothing gaze. "Rose?"

Trying to form the words in her head made her realize just how ridiculous it was to mourn someone who didn't even exist. "I had this weird dream... You were human in it."

"That's disgusting." He said reflexively. Seeing her arch an eyebrow at him, he added hurriedly. "Not you, of course! You're different. You're Rose Tyler. My perfect Rose. My Bad Wolf. My precious girl. My shining star."

She had to grin at his cheesy nicknames for her. "And you are a daft alien."

He smiled back at her, relieved to see her relax. "Why did it upset you so much?" He asked softly.

That's exactly what she didn't understand. She pulled away with a sigh to look at him properly. "I... don't know."

He studied her for a moment, then simply nodded, deciding to not think too much into dreams and just take care of her instead, at least for the moment. He took hold of her hand, and smiled again. "I believe I need to tuck you into bed?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't talk like a creepy old pervert."

He chuckled, leading her down the corridor to her room. "Oh, but Rose, I _am_ a creepy old pervert. Nine hundred years old, and the things I want to do to a certain twenty year old vixen."

Despite her earlier grief, Rose felt the hair on her neck rise up at the feel of his breathe there and his words. With a shaky hand, she turned the knob on her door and motioned towards the bed. "Well, I don't reckon I can sleep tonight, so maybe we can..."

He looked at her, at her bags under her eyes and the tiredness on her face that she was trying to hide behind a tongue touched smile. He could tell they were in the beginning of finding that feeling in the bottom of the stomach that usually ended with their clothes on the floor, but he shook his head firmly. "Sleep, Rose. I'll stay with you."

"You won't leave?" She asked, sounding like a little child left in the woods in the dark.

"Never", he reassured, bopping her nose.

She let him lead her to bed, tuck her in, like he had joked, and crawl in beside her, holding her in his arms, as he talked about sunsets and stars in a voice that slowly lulled her into sleep. When she fell asleep, he didn't leave. But sleep didn't come to him, and he lay there, thinking. The notion of a human him, now _that_ was interesting. He had only used the chameleon arch once, when he was being chased by the Family of blood, but he never told her about it. Did she even know he could be human if he wanted, storing away his Time Lord self in a little fob watch? Would she want him to be human? To settle down and grow old with her, together? Heck, if the Universe didn't need a Doctor, he would have even willingly chosen to die with her- in human form even.

He realized he would have to have this conversation with her some time. But not that night. That night, he was content with simply watching her sleep peacefully.

* * *

When Rose woke up, she was pleased to find the Doctor was still there, true to his words, with his arms around her waist. The sleeves of his shirt was rolled up and he must have taken his coat and jacket off some time during the night. A smile formed on her lips. She felt more rested than she had in a long time. "Morning", she mumbled.

"Good morning", he whispered back in an adorable sing song voice.

She bit her lips. "Well, how about now?"

"Huh?" His eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Had he promised her something and forgotten? Dear Rassilon, not again!

She rolled her eyes, leaning closer so the full length of her body was pressed against his. " _Someone_ was talking about doing _things_ last night, and I thought..." She trailed off, the hand trailing up his chest perfectly stating her intentions.

And oh, the things they did!

* * *

She could not believe that he had lost her freaking _sim_ in the middle of doing whatever the bloody hell it was that he had been doing to her phone. He had offered to build her a new one, which she immediately shot down, and then buy one, which she also refused. And so they had ended up looking for the tiny thing all over the room. Perfect post-shag activity, he thought sarcastically. So far, not good.

"What was this jar for again?" She asked curiously, holding up the object in her hand that seemed familiar, yet unknown. He had nine hundred years of accumulated space junk, and she had chosen her amusement over the prospect of a grand space garage sale.

He looked at her for a brief moment before returning to his search. "Ah, that's for my hand. Time Lord, me. Can't leave a single cell anywhere. Civilizations would kill for it. Literally."

"Right", she nodded, remembering the Christmas when she found out he could grow a new hand, and felt a familiar pang for her mum. She wondered how her family was doing. And then another thought hit her as her eyes drifted to the empty jar. "Well, where is your hand then?"

He stopped mid-track, his eyes growing wide in sudden realization. "I... I don't know, Rose."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

She stared at him incredulously. "How can you _not_ know where your hand is?"

"Well, it isn't exactly attached to my body now, is it?" He said, and dashed about the console room, as if a disembodied hand was lying there in plain sight and they just never noticed it, but would magically do so at that very moment if they squinted hard enough.

She tried to shake away the sense of despair already rising inside her. Panicking would not help at all. Things had been complicated enough already, with the dreams that made no sense and the woman who spoke in riddles. Now there was a missing Time Lord hand that could wreck havoc in the wrong hands. They had to go about this logically instead of his frantic searching. "When did you last see it?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "In the TARDIS. Before Davros..." His words died at the tip of his tongue at the painful memory of his last great battle with the Daleks, one that cost him so dearly, including the memories of his best friend. "Before he tried to destroy the TARDIS and Donna got it back."

"Okay, after that?"

He hated how he didn't have the answers and could only speculate. "Well, Donna must have touched it and caused the meta-crisis. Enter Doctor Donna."

"Yeah?"

His face fell. "And then I didn't see the hand again."

She could not believe him. Sure, he was oblivious to a lot of things around him, but never to something this important. "And you didn't even notice it until _now_?"

"No!" He tugged his messy hair in frustration, feeling the sudden urge to smash something. He had just gotten Rose, and things were going downhill again. Couldn't he have just one little victory? "I've been a little preoccupied with you, in case you didn't notice."

Rose took a deep breathe to calm herself. They were going to take a rain check on the impending fight- finding the hand first was more important. They could start at the TARDIS, or at- "Oh God, Donna!" She felt like she had just been punched in the stomach. "What if it's at Donna's place? She might start to remember about you! Doctor, we have to go there now!"

He nodded, a dreadful feeling twisting knots inside his twin hearts at the possibility of that. "Dinner at her place and then we search the house?"

She only hoped it would work. "Yeah."

 _Few years back, or few years later, in a parallel universe..._

"Rose?"

Rose Tyler rolled on the bed, trying to get as far away from the cruel voice calling her name, and as far under the covers as she could. "Five more minutes, mum!"

It was bad enough that the woman he loved did not recognize his voice when she was half-asleep, but being mistaken for Jackie Tyler? Now that was just plain unacceptable. "Rose, it's me!"

She squinted one eye open to see who this annoying human was, and was greeted by the sight of pink sheets and blue pajamas. Realizing immediately where she was and who she was with, she buried her face deep into the pillow. "Go away."

"But Rose-"

She looked up long enough to shoot him a deadly glare. "Go away if you ever want to see me naked again."

That he definitely did. Maybe he should just go away?

Or he could just wake her up. She was a reasonable woman, she'd surely understand. "But you have to see this, come on!"

She knew there was no way she could get back to sleep without humouring him now. With a weary sigh, she dragged herself into a sitting position. Even after weeks of being back with him, she still wasn't used to his erratic sleep schedule. She wondered what the big emergency was now. "I hate you so much sometimes."

"You're welcome, honey. Now look!" He jumped out of the bed with the giddy excitement of a child that reminded her of her little brother, and drew back the thick curtains of their bed-side window. "It's snowing! Our first snow here, together!"

She let out a small chuckle, rubbing at her eyes with her hands to drive the sleep away. "Doctor, you can't even remember my birthday! You can't possibly remember all the firsts."

"It's not the date, Rose Tyler, that matters, but the memories."

"Far too wise for the middle of the night." She said, and got up from the bed to join him, giving him a chaste peck on the lips. She leaned her frame against his, and stared out of the window, watching the snow cover the silver streets. She had seen the snow here before, stranded away from him, wondering where he was, if it was sunny or raining or cold, if he was alright. She worried about him all the time, missed him too much for her own good, and could never enjoy anything without him to share the view and see the world anew through her eyes. The snow had never appealed to her. Until tonight, with his breathe ghosting her neck and his hand on her waist. She sighed, pleased. "It's beautiful."

"The first time I held your hand in this body, it was snowing with Styrocox ashes." He murmured against her hair. "Funny, that. We started with tragedy."

She looked up at him with wide, shining eyes. "Yeah, but then I pointed at a star I wanted to see, and you grinned at me." She smiled at the mere memory. "Hope in seasons of despair, isn't that what we've always been about?"

He beamed at her, falling a little more in love with her optimism. "Far too wise for the middle of the night", he mimicked, and reached for her hand to intertwine their fingers. Noticing how cold it was, he asked, "Would you like a cuppa before you go back to bed?"

"Actually, I was thinking of going out to enjoy the snow. Grab my coat for me, will you?"

His grin grew wider and he dashed off to get her coat. "May I, Dame Rose?" He asked when he returned, holding her coat in his hands.

She laughed, raising her arms to let him help her with her coat. "You may, Sir Doctor."

Before long, they were holding hands and running into the snow, and they both realized at that exact moment that all the adventures time and space had to offer could never measure up to this happiness they felt in each other's company right in their own backyard.

It was a matter of moments till a ball of snow hit the Doctor's coat. His grin was of pure joy. "Remember, Rose, you started it."


End file.
